SEPAR ! ATION
by Claamchowder
Summary: Naruto thought that if he asked the Hokage to send her away to... to who-knows-WHERE, she'd be happier. But he was wrong. DEAD WRONG. Now she's back, and she's determined to destroy the one thing she blames her ruined childhood on: Konoha. AU
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello hello HELLO~! Claamchowder here bringing you a revised prologue to this story o' mine! I wasn't satisfied with the original and rewrote this thing and— with the help of my beta for this story, Desert . Moon (YES. The writer of THE OBSESSION. If you don't know it, check it out~)— it is now ready for your eyes to read! ;D ;D ;D**

**DISCLAIMER: You know the drill. Naruto. Not. MINE. I wouldn't want it, anyways. If I did, it wouldn't have been as popular as it is! AND THAT WOULDN'T BE GOOD.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!!!**

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**SEPAR | ATION**

_**Prologue**_

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_Brat._

_Delinquent._

_Freak._

_**Monster.**_

Why had the adults called him that? What did he do to deserve this? When did this all start?

So many questions.

Yet he had no answers. It had been like this for his whole life. He'd walk around the village and do practically _nothing, _yet he would still receive countless glares from the adults. Then they'd sneer when he locked eyes with them and spit an insult at him.

It…

_Hurt._

All he wanted was for people to notice him, to acknowledge that he _existed, _and accept him. To not treat him as if he were an outsider.

Was it impossible to see that he _loved_Konoha? Sure, he pulled as many pranks as he possibly could in his free time, but he never did anything that was _irreversible. _

Digging his toe into the sandbox one last time before standing up and walking home─ all the while avoiding the eyes of those around him─ Naruto could only hope that things would get better.

-|-

"You're here again?"

"I'm always here, you fool,"

"… What are you?"

It laughed. He hated the sound of its laugh. He hated how it reverberated through the endless corridors of this place. He hated how the water that sloshed around his knees was seeping through his clothes and into his sandals. He hated the stench of its breath, and how it smelled like the dead dog he'd found in an alley of Konoha. He hated this place.

But not as much as Naruto hated the thing that stood behind those thick bars that separated them. It mocked him, called him names, and told him horrible things. He knew that every time he saw it he'd have to prepare himself for an onslaught of insults.

"Take a good look at me, kit," it said, giving Naruto a clear view of its dagger-like teeth, each longer than the blond himself. He was glad that it was caged; otherwise it might've gotten to him the first time he dreamt of it. Yes, dreamt.

How else would he be able to talk to a creature that easily towered over even the tallest building in Konoha?

For the first time, he actually took in the details of the creature: its blood red fur, ruby eyes, the black fur that ran from its eyes to its ears─ which were long and elegant─ thin limbs, and nine tails. Nine tails…

"You're a kitsune," he mumbled, glancing away as it grinned at him again. Its smiles were definitely _not_ friendly. It was like it was trying to lull him into a sense of false security so that, once he got close enough, it would grab him with its claws and rip him apart.

"Not just any kitsune, human," it declared. "I'm _the_kitsune. Kyuubi!"

This caused Naruto to take a large step back from the bars of the cage. He had heard of the demon that had terrorized Konoha nine years ago, as well as the damage it had caused. And how the Yondaime Hokage had sacrificed himself just to defeat it.

Which meant that the Kyuubi was dead. So why was he dreaming of a dead demon?

The fox let out a roar, causing Naruto to jump in fright. The water splashed around from the sudden movement, wetting the bottom of his shirt. "I am _not_dead!" it growled, lashing its paw out at him, giving Naruto a clear view of how sharp its claws really were. "Though sometimes I wish I _were!_ To be sealed inside a brat such as yourself is an _insult_ to me! You're so pathetically weak; it's no wonder the villagers treat you like they do! If you made them _fear_ you, then they'd treat you with _respect!_ You may not deserve it, but I most certainly do!" Apparently the fox had access to his thoughts.

"… What did you say?"

"Oh, so now you're _deaf?!_" The smile from earlier was gone now, replaced with a snarl that would've made even the Hokage cringe in fear.

"You─ You're inside of me?" Naruto questioned, his hands shaking as he reached down to touch his stomach. It explained why he felt a strange energy emit from his navel every time he felt truly angry or scared, but he didn't want it to be true. If it were true, he'd have to accept that he had destroyed everything the villagers loved. They'd have the _right_ to torment him.

"_Ha!_" Kyuubi snorted, pulling its paw back into the prison that contained him. "Don't flatter yourself. You'd never be able to accomplish what I can do in a single day."

Before the fox could go onto how Naruto was simply too weak to even attempt such a thing, the boy forced himself to wake. He couldn't take it anymore.

As soon as his eyes had opened, he slid out of bed and slipped on his sandals. Not even bothering to check the time, Naruto walked over to the window on the other side of the room and opened it.

Before he jumped through and ran from the house, Naruto cast a glance at the second bed in the room, and the lump in it.

Then he was gone.

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**AN: REVIEW PLEASES**


	2. Departure

**Author's Note: Thanks to Desert Moon for beta-ing!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own the OC's.**

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SEPAR | ATION

_**Chapter One: The Departure**_

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After evading the occasional Chuunin patrol around the Hokage's Tower, Naruto began to formulate a plan as to how to approach the elderly man. Needless to say, the nine-year-old's strategy wasn't what one would call stealthy or brilliant. He was going to simply break into the Hokage's office and loudly demand to know what he was exactly… despite the fact that the sun had yet to rise.

Latching onto the drainage pipe that ran along the side of the enormous building, Naruto began his steady ascent to the window that undoubtedly led to the office of the most powerful man in Konohagakure. Once he was at the same level as the room, the young blond reached a hand out and─ once it slid, without any difficulty, under the small opening meant to let in some air ─ attempted to pull up the glass panel, only to find that it stuck fast. Judging by how he could see that it was clearly _unlocked, _the reason he couldn't open it was simply that he didn't use enough force.

Placing a foot on the windowsill, Naruto slipped his other hand under the opening and jerked up. Sadly, this time the boy had put in too _much_ force, and soon found himself tipping backwards. He let out a boisterous cry and began his rapid descent to the ground below.

Naruto wouldn't normally call himself lucky or blessed, due to the unfortunate circumstances that had befallen him during infancy, but at that moment he was thanking whatever deity may have existed.

It just so happened that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, had been stuck with an abundance of paperwork requesting missions and was forced to stay up longer than he was accustomed to. Upon hearing the window creak open and the scream that followed soon after, he had rushed over to see what had happened. After realizing that the origin of all this was the Uzumaki boy himself, he had lashed an arm out to grab him, barely managing to get a hold of the child's ankle.

After chastising Naruto about how dangerous it was to scale walls without the proper training, and how he should still be in bed, the Hokage finally settled down in his chair and asked Naruto why he had come.

The young boy's eyes widened for a fraction, as if he had actually forgotten _what _his reason for arriving so suddenly was, before they settled back to their original state: disbelief.

"Ojii-san!" he cried, rushing forward to grab the elderly man by his robes and looking up at him with his deep blue eyes. "Is what it said true? Is Kyuubi really inside of _me?_"

It wouldn't take a genius to see that this had stunned the Hokage into silence. He hadn't been expecting Naruto to ask such a question… or even know about Kyuubi at all. It seemed as if the demon had been talking to the child in his dreams, something that wasn't even supposed to be _happening. _Was the seal weakening somehow? Or was it simply Naruto's yearning to discover what made him so different from everyone around him that allowed him access to the kitsune?

He could see that Naruto was getting anxious and, after clearing his throat, he answered.

"… Yes."

Naruto's grip on Hiruzen's robes loosened before his hands completely fell away to his sides, where they balled into tiny fists. He screwed his blue eyes shut before opening his mouth to take a shuddery breath and say the one thing he had hoped he wouldn't have had to say:

"Then I want her gone."

Once again Hiruzen found himself in disbelief. As if discovering the source of his isolation wasn't enough, he now wanted one of the only people who accepted and loved him to be sent away? Was he _asking_ for a life of sadness?

"Why, Naruto?"

"Because of me, she suffers, Ojii-san!" Naruto exclaimed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes, "Because of me, they look at her the same way! They call _her_ names as well, and sometimes make her run home crying! Why would I want her to stay _here, _where people only hate her_?_"

Though he saw the boy's point, he was still hesitant in making the decision.

"You'll be alone," he pointed out.

"I─I know."

"You'll have a harder time enduring their taunts without her."

"I know…"

"Are you sure you want to do this, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes!" Naruto whispered. "Yes! I don't want _her_ of all people to be sad! She shouldn't _ever_ be sad! She should laugh and smile and… and just be happy. I don't want her to be sad… I don't."

Hiruzen looked down at the blond boy, a mixture of pride and sadness tinting his features. Pride that Naruto was already so caring at this age, despite what had happened so far. Sadness that he wanted him to do this.

"… Alright, Naruto-kun. A pair of merchants is staying here until tomorrow, when they return to their village. I'll see if they can maybe take her with them." Upon seeing Naruto's apprehensive look, Hiruzen didn't hesitate to mention that they were very kind people and very trustworthy. They had been in Konoha multiple times before; each time, they had been very respectful, and never done anything that would be considered cruel.

"Thank you, Ojii-san," Naruto murmured. "And─And I want you to know that I don't plan on her to be gone forever. Once I become a strong ninja that can protect her, I'll bring her back. I will!" With that, he turned away from the Hokage and left the building the same way he'd come.

"I know you will," Hiruzen said with a sad smile as he watched the boy climb out of the window and down the walls. Though he didn't want to send such a young child away from her home, he believed that Naruto was right: that she'd be happier somewhere else. Somewhere they wouldn't judge her just because of Naruto.

Just because she was his sister, his twin.

/m/n/

"No!" A scream rang out across Konoha. "Nononono_no! Don't send me away!_ Don't make me go! _Naruto-nii!"_

A child with bright blue eyes and golden hair much shorter than that of most girls her age struggled against the grip of a middle-aged man with thinning light brown hair and a stocky build. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continuously tried to wrench herself out of his grasp, only to fail time and again. A light orange tank top hung loosely on her thin frame, accompanied by a pair of worn out green shorts. Bandages could be seen all over. A few were slapped on her knees, traveling all the way down to her shin. One was on her left elbow, and another was on her forehead: a result of bullying she had been subjected to after school.

Before her stood Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had a sad look in his eyes as he conversed with the other merchant. She was a plump woman with pale blonde hair held up in a bun and covered with a pale pink cloth. Her skin was the color of honey, slightly darker than her husband's pigment. In her arms was a bag full of what little the girl owned: a few pairs of worn out clothing and a small plush doll that looked remotely like a frog.

Though the girl couldn't hear what they were saying, she at least knew the topic of their conversation. They were talking about her. The occasional glance from the woman told her this.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the woman walked away from the Hokage and approached her. "Minako-chan, it's time to go."

But she didn't want to go. And she loudly declared so. She didn't want to leave Naruto. She didn't want to leave him alone. Alone in a village full of cruel people that always spat insults at them for no reason whatsoever.

Uzumaki Minako was only nine when she was torn away from her brother.

She was only nine when it began.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**DUN DUN DUN.**

**So now you have it! The girl that they sent away was none other than Naruto's TWIN SISTER! And thus begins my attempt at making a cliche story idea GOOD. If you made it this far, review please? :D**


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